Marilyn Garman focuses on three significant business study pillars: design, strategy, and culture. She believes these pillars are essential elements in the business world, and their intersection dictates business success.

In pursuit of understanding the interworkings of the triad, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business of Art and Design from Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD), a Master in Entertainment Industry Management from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and recently, a Doctorate of Business Administration from Saint Leo University.

Additionally, she also holds certifications from:

• Project Management Institute, Project Management Professional (PMP), July 2024

• Sweathead, Certificate of Strategy Giant Awakening (Strategy Accelerator Program), March 2024

• Scrum Alliance, Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), October 2021, and Certified Developer (CSD), May 2023.

• CITI Program, Social and Behavioral Research – Basic/Refresher, August 2022.

• IDEOU, Leading Complex Projects, February 2022.

• General Assembly, Online Data Analytics Certification, July 2019.

• Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, eCornell Certification, May 2018, Focus: Women in Leadership.

While finishing her degree at CMU. She interned at various production companies and studios in Los Angeles, including FilmDistrict, Illumination Entertainment, Geek and Sundry, and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

She joined Sony Pictures Television (SPT) within the US Networks team as a Digital Coordinator. Her role grew to developing, maintaining, and managing content for three Sony premium channel websites and their native applications: Sony Movie Channel, CineSony Televisión, and getTV.

Guided by her goal to help others realize their greatest potential, Marilyn discovered a passion for education and departed SPT to pursue it.

She works as a practitioner and professor in the Business of Art and Design program at Ringling College and as the Founder of Meraki Business Consulting Group, LLC., a company that works to improve work-life in businesses. As a professor, she develops and runs a student growth-encouraging design in business courses, including entertainment business, strategic planning, project management, animation production management, marketing principles, negotiation, and senior capstone planning and research. She works with artists and designers and, over the years, has developed an appreciation for design and its impact.

As a business founder and executive, she is passionate about revitalizing the workforce by maximizing motivation and eliminating organizationally derived job burnout. She believes that the business culture is affected by and influential in the underlying strategy.

“A business must say what it is about and act in alignment with it. This includes, in no small measure, how it treats its people.”

She also owns and operates an online shop specializing in designs that infuse levity, inspiration, and fun colors into everyday living.